Everytime
by Chiyo Ishida
Summary: An EdWin songfic to Britney Spears 'Eveytime' I am so sorry, its unlike me. Major movie spoilers so some violence themes. Set during and after film
1. Strangers

Okay, here and now I give you permission to never read my fics again/kill me for doing this one. Its a song fic and for the love of all that is Holy its been done to death. Even worse I'm not even making it a one shot, its going to be at least three chapters long. Its based on the song 'Everytime' by Britney Spears. I make stories to songs in my head, its sad but its what I do.

**Movie spoilers** If you already know what happens in the film you are safe, if not and you don't want to run far away. This first chapter has none of the song lyrics in it as this is setting up events to come. _FMA and all the characters are not mine.

* * *

_

Although she had been waiting for two years to see him again she had almost fallen into a state of shock when she saw his form sprawled on the floor. The past hour of her life had been the most rushed she had been in a good long while. Determined as she was to find Al she had not expected an earthquake to occur while she was within the ground. Both she and Shezka had fallen from a great height but had luckily fallen on something soft enough to stop either of them being seriously hurt.

She could tell the moment she got to her feet Al had to be somewhere. The familiar glow of alchemy seemed to be everywhere and she strained to see where it was specifically coming from. If only she knew better she would have believed it was Edward, showing off as he loved to do.

The underground city was amazing in itself let alone when it was crumbling about their ears. She was not afraid for her own life but she was for her precious cargo. Only she knew what was held within her rather heavy suitcase and until the time came to open it that was how it would remain. Holding it close to her she and Shezka carried on walking. Winry had a task to complete and she would not be beaten back by the fearful situation she was in.

'Winry, look!' Shezka suddenly cried out as she pointed toward the sky. Winry looked to where Shezka was pointing and she finally saw where the glow was coming from. An alchemy circle shone as bright as the sun and from it came a machine they had never seen before.

With adrenaline and curiosity burning with in her Winry ran closer to the spectacle. Out of the alchemy circle came flying a machine not known to their world. It was a great hulking mass of metal that roared through the air with thundering noises.

'Don't you like that sort of thing?' Shezka asked.

Winry frowned at this question, 'Its not artistic,' she snapped but it was only to cover how interested she really was. It was a guilt of an interest for her gut told her whatever this thing was it was a danger. Al had already been in battle with men that had come through a gate much like this and what she could see was a sure sign they had returned with more firepower.

'Winry,' came a cry from a young voice. She turned to see the red cloak billowing behind Al as it had once done Ed. She was relieved to see him and yet angry with him all the same. He had come to this place to try and get his brother back without even telling her that was what he was doing. She wanted to scream that he was not the only one who wanted Ed back but now was not the time. Also she hated the look of pity Shezka gave her whenever she mentioned Ed's name. Shezka did not hold as much belief that Edward would return but then she did not understand alchemy as well as she might.

'Al,' she sighed as he reached them, 'What are these things?'

'I brought them over,' he growled.

She turned to look at him and saw the fear and guilt within his eyes. She did not know what he could be talking about for another scream from Shezka pulled all train of thought away from Al. She saw another flying machine, much smaller then the previous, begin to fall from the sky. Awestruck she barely flinched as it smashed into a few roofs causing more of the ever aging city to fall. Following its descent the all watched it finally crash to the ground and skid for some time before smashing into a wall.

All too shocked to say anything to each other Winry was first to notice the figure on the floor. Through the smoke of the crash she could not see him clearly but something in her heart began to come to life. As the smoke finally cleared itself she saw the figure in a clearer view. Once she had seen the rare golden hair she dropped her suitcase and walked over to the body with no hesitation. She had waited for this meeting for so long yet she had no idea what to say or do.

Seeing him stir she did not come any closer and he didn't seem to have detected her presence. Since her brain had ceased to work she followed what her heart told her to say.

'Ed,' she quietly called.

He jerked and slowly raised his eyes to focus on her. The moment they focused on each other and she knew it was him she welled up with tears of joy, 'and where have you been?'

She barely let him speak her name before she threw herself into him. She hadn't hugged him for so many years, not since they were very young children. But something buried deep within her drove her to such a rash act.

'Welcome home,' she managed to whisper with great ability at hiding her tears. She waited another few moments to see if he would return the embrace but with a heavy heart she finally let him go. Swept up in the moment she completely forgot that Ed would want to be with his brother above anything. She heard Shezka and Al run up behind her, she heard them greet him but she did not tear her eyes off Ed. They were all distracted by the flying machines once again and Al suddenly ran off to follow them.

Perhaps Winry should have known better but their lack of affection took her by surprise. However she was not surprised when Ed got up to chase after Al his leg failed him. With a sigh she retrieved her heavy suitcase and placed it down next to him with a mutter of 'honestly'. She flipped open the lid to reveal the most perfect auto-mail arm and leg she had ever created. They had taken her months to complete but the look on Ed and Shezka's face made it all worth while.

'But Winry, I've grown.'

She avoided the urge to say anything about his height but proceeded to remove the arm and show it to him, 'Who do you think I am?'

He laughed and took a look for himself before she proceeded to remove the other limbs. Shezka who was never any good at coping with the squeamish things in life took her leave for a while.


	2. Take my hand

Quick on this one, but chapters are far shorter and I know exactly what I want to write. Probably many errors as people wouldn't stop talking to me. I will edit it later, but now I'm sleepy and can no longer spell. _FMA isn't mine.

* * *

_

Although Winry was known to get upset when Ed hurt himself it did not faze her to remove two of his limbs from him. She decided the best way to go about it would be to take it away in as big a chunks as possible. She could see in his eyes the desperation to find his brother. Yet if he left sooner he could clear all the hassle that was going on up and be back to her quicker. She found the biggest part of his false arm and with a quick jerk she pulled it away.

He cried out in pain but not knowing such mechanics she knew pulling had to have been the quickest way of removing it. She winced slightly as she heard him grind his teeth in an effort to keep quiet. Perhaps talking to him would be a distraction.

'So now you decide to come back? And you bring all these troubles with you.'

'Thanks for the affection Winry,' he growled.

'You've had me being nice to you. I can't keep it up forever.'

'I've been away two years and this is the sweetest you can be?'

'Perhaps if you had been here I wouldn't be so mad!'

They had only said a few words to each other but in that short space of time her temper had flared up. She had many, many more things she wanted to say to him but now was not the time. It had been two years and she hadn't let one day go by where she didn't think of him. Toward the end of the first year being parted from him she was just about ready to give up hope. But Al assured her he would keep his promise and now that promise was sat in front of her. She wanted again to through her arms around him, if anything in a vein attempt to strangle him. But considering he was minus an arm and a small war was beginning in the world above them she kept it all in. She would have plenty time after they had saved the world to tell him how she truly felt.

'So Edward…did you miss me?'

He chuckled for a second or two and she could see how it would sound funny. The problem was she wanted a real answer from him and the chances of that were slim to none. Still it was a chance to hear his voice without it being raised in anger.

'Not a day went by when I didn't miss this place. Hell I even missed the colonel.'

She smiled but it had not been what she wanted to hear. She guessed he would have missed everyone as it went without saying. She wanted to know if she had left a hole in his life that only she could fill. But then even the thought of this caused her to blush and she concentrated harder on her work. Shezka had demanded Winry tell Ed how she truly felt when he returned but somehow Winry was still unsure how she did feel. She loved him that was certain, but to what extent did she love him? She was adamant it was just a love between friends but with the way she had thought about it she knew it was unlikely that was the case. Working purely on the adrenalin pumping round her body from her heart she asked;

'What did you miss about me?'

He took a deep breath and replied, 'My auto-mail probably.'

She got to her feet and slammed her wrench to the ground, 'That's all I was to you! A mechanic?'

'No…no that's not what I meant,' he stammered knowing full well what Winry was capable of with a wrench.

'What did you mean then Edward! I spend two years waiting for you to come back to me but all you ever wanted from me was auto-mail! Isn't that what you meant?'

'Winry sit back down, I can't talk to you when you're up there!'

She took a gulp of breath and knelt back in front of him. Refusing to look him in the face she picked up her wrench and carried on with her work.

'My auto-mail, well it was something I could always have that was a part of you. You made it for me, so it was special.'

'You're only saying that so I don't make this painful.'

Her heart almost stopped beating as he took hold of her hand with his free one. It felt softer then she expected and the tears began to fill her blue eyes once again.

'You know, in that world there are equivalent people to those here. I met Al, Rose, Hughes and Gracier…'

'Hughes! H's alive.'

'In that world yes he is. But I never met the equivalent you even though I really wished to. Thank-you for never giving up on me.'

They both sat for a moment, hand in hand and staring at each other. She opened her mouth to speak again all the words she so longed to. But the approach of Shezka knocked her back into mechanic mode and she quickly finished attaching his leg.

'How is it?'

Standing up he grumbled about how painful the attachment had been but all seemed to be fine. Shezka became all starry eyed behind her, exclaiming how well it fit.

'I knew how much you would have grown,' she mumbled quietly knowing full well a blush played across her face. Another crash made them all turn and she knew what he would do next. Calling to her to stay away he ran off in the direction of battle and left her behind with a battered false arm in her hands.

As she stood there a funny feeling came over her. She feared for the safety of the pair of them but that was not it. Something in the pit of her stomach burned and her heart began to ache. Edward had been away for such a long time that no mater how much she loved him he might no longer be the Ed she originally fell in love with.

'Winry,' Shezka cried after they had walked for a while. Winry followed her gaze to see a great block of stone speed into the sky. She could see a glow of alchemy coming from the top and she guessed who was causing it. All she could do now was hope she would feel his warmth again.

**Notice me, take my hand**

**Why are we strangers when**

**Our love is strong**

**Why carry on without me**


	3. I Need You

Updated in time for Valentines, but alas this chapter is mostly angst. However it is also a representation of true love so its romantic enough for me. This fic won't end until I run out of lyrics, so a few more chapters to go.

Remember, this is **moviespoiler** territory._ FMA isn't mine._

_

* * *

_

She walked at such a slow pace it was almost unbearable. Shezka held on to her arm but Winry did not seem to notice as they headed toward the military base. The mass destruction that had occurred was all around them but for Winry it meant very little. She did not once look up from the floor and merely let Shezka guide her. The clean up operation would take months but at least they were out of danger.

Winry replayed the same picture over and over in her head. She saw the flying machine vanish and she knew Edward was aboard. She had waited for two years and they had been together for all of fifteen minutes. Now once again he had left her behind without so even much as a goodbye. Al would be devastated to find his brother gone again. She walked over all the blood and debris and didn't think twice about it. Perhaps she was being cruel in not caring for others but her heart had no room for sympathy. She was filled with rage and humiliation for making such a scene when she saw him. He had sat there with every intention of deserting once again and she hated him for it.

'Ah, Miss Hawkeye,' Shezka exclaimed but the First Lieutenant ran past them at top speed. They turned to see her run toward a figure emerging from the smoke on the horizon. Even through all the dust they could not mistake the jet black hair of the Colonel. Winry finally came to her senses and sped toward him just as Hawkeye was.

The first embraced him tightly before regaining her composure. Winry who already had tears forming in her eyes ran straight at him and slapped him hard across the face. His expression did not change which only caused to upset her more. She raised her hand to strike him once again but Hawkeye grabbed a hold of the hysterical girl and held her back.

'How could you let him go?' she wailed, 'How could you just stand there and watch him leave us all again. How will Al cope?'

He took a breath before revealing, 'Al has gone with him too.'

She took a moment or two to register what he said before she cried even harder then she had before. A mixture of anger, confusion and hurt all built up within her and she had no way to express it but to cry. Riza held on to her to stop her falling to the ground.

'First Lieutenant, I must go and destroy the gate. Please deploy the men to start the clean up operation.'

As he walked away Winry once again snapped to attention. She knew little about alchemy but she guessed the gate was the passage to the world Ed and Al had gone back to. If she could find it she might be able to pass through it before it was destroyed. She wriggled herself free of Riza's grip and ran out of sight. If Riza thought she had gone she would be able to peruse the Colonel as he would lead her to the gate. She didn't care how ridiculous it sounded to anyone. What did they know about what she was going through right at that moment?

Waiting until Riza had vanished Winry quickly caught up with the Colonel but was careful to keep out of his earshot. She could see him heading toward the entrance to the underground city and a realisation hit her. The gate was the great glowing circle in the sky. She would never be able to reach it to be able to pass through.

No she would be beaten that easily. If she could not get to it now she would out a way later. All she had to do was convince Mustang that he should not destroy the gate. She stopped her stalking and ran after him but she had lost track of him. She would be alright for he wouldn't have got that far away from her. She kept running toward the under ground city knowing that at any moment she would catch up with him and plead with all her heart for him to stop.

Although she was now nearly where Ed had emerged she had not yet caught up with the Colonel. He must have been lying to Miss Hawkeye and gone elsewhere before he was going to destroy the gate. Wiping away her tears she began to feel some hope that she may see them again. If the other world was just like theirs they could live just as they had before.

All she had now in this world was her grandmother and dog. As hard as it was to accept neither were long for this world and she would be completely alone. She had already begun to break away from her grandmother as was the way they both wanted it. She was sure she would understand under the circumstances and be happy her granddaughter had found meaning in her life. She couldn't just spend all of her time making auto-mail.

It was then she heard a sound that in one moment erased all the hope she had just built up. She both heard and saw the explosion that seemed to occur in mid-air and from nothing. She ran harder and faster then she had before until she saw the Colonel with his hand raised. He had burnt off part of the gate and it was becoming inactive.

'No,' she screamed but it seemed he already knew she was there. With another click of his fingers another large chunk of the gate vanished and the beautiful glow it once held failed. It took with it all of her dreams and hopes of being with the Elrics. Once again she was left with nothing but despair and she fell to her knees.

With another snap the Colonel finished his job and walked over to her. She stared at his feet but nothing registered with her. He knelt down in front of her and lifted her head by her chin. Her eyes briefly lifted to look directly into his.

'Ed wished to pass on a message to you. Al was meant to deliver it but he has passed it on to me. Edward thanks you for his auto-mail. I know why you came here Winry and I know you followed me. It was hopeless anyway Miss Rockbell. Edward went back through to the other world to destroy the gate.'

'So there is really no way of getting to them?'

'Not by any means you can follow and before you ask I can't either. You are in their thoughts Winry and with that you must settle.'

But she knew there and then she would not settle if there was still away to reach them.

**Every time I try to fly, I fall **

**Without my wings, I feel so small **

**I guess I need you, baby **


	4. Haunting

Shorter chapter but then this isn't meant to be a long fic. We're trying to follow how Winry will cope with thingsso of course it concentrates on her. Still more to come, but those who know the song know that. _FMA isn't mine._

_

* * *

_

Mustang had instructed Armstrong to take Miss Rockbell home and make sure she was kept safe. He had expected her to be upset but from what he could see she was entirely crushed. They had taken for granted the childhood friend of the Elric brothers and now they had to make it up to her. Roy was unaware exactly what her state of mind was but from what he had seen she was unstable. As long as somebody was around to make sure she did not do anything where she might hurt herself she could go home.

Winry was sat in a very defensive pose with Armstrong by her side. They were on the train that was on its way to Lior so they could pick up Rose and take her back to Rizembol with them. She was none to pleased about being escorted although they adamantly denied that's what was going on. She had stopped crying or even feeling the urge to and sat with a scowl on her face. Armstrong chuckled quietly beside her.

'I'm glad you have a reason to laugh Major,' she snarled cruelly. The bulk of muscle looked deflated but he could not take it personally.

**'**I was just having a flashbackMiss Rockbell. I have seen Edward pull exactly the same face at me.'

She made a noise somewhere between a snort and a whimper and looked out the window. Perhaps she was not the type to feel better by talking about it. They were going to be on the train for a long while but he hoped Rose would bring some reprieve. It hurt him to see Winry so spiteful because he knew it was because she was upset. They had phoned Pinako to tell her what had happened and she had told them to be careful with her grand-daughter. Winry had lost many of the people she loved.

'When?' she suddenly asked.

'Excuse me Miss Rockbell?'

'When did he pull a face like this?'

'I thought he did all the time,' he beamed.

He was delighted to see a small grin appear in the corner of her mouth and decided to push his luck. As the train pulled away he told her all the memories she had of the Elric brothers. She got to hear what she wanted to and did not have to say a word back. As a man of the military it was the best he could do.

* * *

Winry was able to sit on the train while the Major went to fetch Rose and the children. She was content to be alone for a few moments as she could think over her day. She had let what Armstrong had to say wash over her. However it had only lead to upset her in an entirely new way. Upon hearing his words she became aware of how much she had missed out on in their lives. Al had lost all of his memory so had never been able to fill her in. She had buried herself in work after Al had left and tried to block out all the questions she had. Now knowing she would never really get the answers she wanted the questions were plaguing once again. Her heart beat painfully a couple of times and she clutched her chest.

'Hello.'

She jumped and look to where the small voice came from. Standing in the doorway was the child who was I the carriage opposite them. He was spinning absent mind idly and humming to himself.

'Hello,' she replied.

'You look sad.'

'I'm afraid I am sad.'

'Why?'

She almost laughed at the innocence of youth, 'I have lost some people who are very special to me.'

He looked up at her and smiled, 'There is no need to be sad. I cried when daddy never came home but mommy said not to.'

'And why should you not?'

'Because they have gone to a place where they will be happy forever. And one day you get to be with them.'

Her mouth fell open to speak but nothing came out. The little boy trotted back to his own carriage leaving her in a state of shock. She hadn't ever thought the way he did. She knew that death meant the end of it even when Ed had explained human transmutation to her. Perhaps she would be far happier now if she believed that they were in a happy place where she could one day follow.

She could hear the voices of the others approaching. Not wanting to have to talk to anyone she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She could hear Rose asking about how she was but Armstrong did not answer. With Rose and the children sat in another carriage and the gentle movement of the train rocking her, Winry eventually fell asleep.

Her dreams were only on the one topic and that was those she had been parted from. She first dreamt of her father and mother. They had been such caring people but it had eventually led to their death. It had taken her a while but she had forgiven Mustang for putting her through such pain. Their faces soon faded out to be replaced by the others she was close to. Although she had been parted from Ed for two years she had been with him every moment. She had not known when he was going to come back but she knew he would. She could see his smile shine through the darkness of her memory and she held her hands out to him. He embraced her and whispered promises of never leaving her. She could feel his warmth and his breath on her neck but she still knew it was a dream.

Her eyes snapped open and focused on the world around her. She was not within Edward's embrace at all but still stuck in the cramped carriage on the train. She was happy to see she was alone and she let some final tears fall down her cheek. Even with her eyes open she could see him standing before her and she almost held out her hands again. Reality came back to her with a heavy bump as one of the suitcases fell off the shelf above her head. She screamed slightly and jumped backward and Armstrong came running in.

'Winry are you alright?' he cried picking up the offending item.

She nodded at him and noticed one the of children appear in the doorway. She had faced the words come from the mouth of a babe already once so was not surprised by what he said.

'You could have died lady,' he said rather matter of factly.

'Don't say that Dom,' Rose scolded the child and she arrived to retrieve him, 'You aren't hurt are you Winry?'

Winry shook her head as her heart dropped out of her throat, 'No, no that certainly would not have killed me. Children say the strangest things don't they?'

But sometimes they could be the wisest of the population.

**And every time I see you in my dreams **

**I see your face, it's haunting me **

**I guess I need you, baby**


End file.
